Bulls fall 8-0 in five innings to conclude weekend series.
TAMPA, FLA. Mar. 7, 2021 – The University of South Florida softball team fell 8-0 in five innings to No. 2 Arizona on Sunday afternoon. Starting pitcher Georgina Corrick (Sanford, Fla.) held Arizona off the board through the first three innings before the Wildcat offense struck for eight combined runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
The game was assistant coach Jessica Moore’s last with the team. In her six-season stint with the Bulls, Moore primarily worked with the pitching staff and helped the team reach three NCAA tournaments and capture three American Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships. She served as the Bulls’ interim head coach in 2020, guiding the team to a 16-9 finish in the shortened season. She leaves the Bulls to pursue new opportunities in Denmark.
Both teams pitched around bases loaded jams in the first inning. Corrick used a strike out and pop out of consecutive Arizona batters to end the top half of the inning. The opening frame ended scoreless after the Bulls also left the bases loaded at the plate.
The Bulls loaded the bases again in the second, but weren’t able to bring a run home, keeping the game scoreless through two.
Corrick was able to escape a two-out bases-loaded situation again in the top of the third. Overall, both teams left eight runners each on base through the first three innings.
Arizona broke through in the fourth. The Wildcats would push across five runs in the inning on the strength of six hits. Arizona would extend its lead in the fifth inning with a sac-fly and a two-run home run, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 8-0, activating the run-rule to end the game.
Notables
- AnaMarie Bruni (Schwenksville, Pa.) stole her 66th career base in the contest. She’s now one swipe behind Gina Kafalas for seventh on USF’s all-time list.
- Corrick needs 20 strikeouts to move to No. 3 on the program’s all-time list. She currently sits in fourth with 613.
- Jordyn Kadlub (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) stole her first base of the year.
Quotable
Head coach Ken Eriksen on Jessica Moore’s impact on the program…
“Since day one, the impact was there. The culture was going in a great direction since day one when she got here. You don’t replace the people at all. She’ll have an everlasting impact, obviously, on what we do. We were very lucky to have her when we had her.”
Assistant coach Jessica Moore on her biggest takeaway from her time with USF…
“I always tell people that when I came here to work at USF that my favorite thing is that I got to come here and be myself every day with the coaching staff, particularly with Ken. Ken’s one of my biggest mentors and best friends. So for me, it was just family from the get-go. I think that was really, really important. I think we underestimate the value of getting to show up and do the things we want to do and the things we love with the people we love. The more we can continue to understand that as a program, that it’s about the people and that all the other things will come along with it, but if the people aren’t right, then just the whole feeling of it isn’t gonna go.
For me, my time at USF has definitely been about the people and the things we have been able to create and the exciting things we got to persevere through, the hard things that we did. Those will be the things I always remember. The things that we built. It’s easy when you come out here every day and you don’t play against a tough schedule and you’re winning. To me, it’s when you get to build things and do the hard things and succeed together in the hard things. I think that’s super, super special. I’m just grateful Ken gave me the opportunity. I’m forever grateful for that. I just want to thank all of Bulls Nation for welcoming me the way that they did and giving me the experience that I’ve had here over the six years.”
Assistant coach Tommy Santiago on Moore’s departure…
“It’s tough when you lose a great person like Jess. I really enjoyed my time coaching with her and she will be missing in this program for sure.”
Assistant coach Tommy Santiago on the game…
“We are starting to show glimpses of where we need to be but it’s not as consistent as we want right now. The key to all of this is to keep learning from our mistakes so we can play our best ball come conference time. We had bases loaded twice in this game where we could have cashed in some runs but couldn’t come through with timely hitting. As the season goes along, I am confident that the team will come through in those situations.”
Up Next
The Bulls are back at USF Softball Stadium on Wednesday for a doubleheader against New Mexico State. Game one will begin at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Due to virus mitigation measures and the size of the venue, USF will have limited fan attendance via team pass list only at USF Softball Stadium.
About USF Softball
Be sure to follow USF softball on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women’s College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
